Healing Touch for Animals

(Beloved Roxanne)

 

Healing Touch for Animals

 

Energy Work for Our Companions

Lara Evans Bracciante

 

"I didn't know other people couldn't see energy until I was 30 years old," says Carol Komitor, creator of Healing Touch for Animals (HTA) and the Komitor Healing Method. This extraordinary ability to see energy fields has allowed her to help many people and pets, including Dakota, the 19-year-old quarter horse she's been working on this morning. "He had some blockages in his ankle. I used the laser technique to get things flowing again," Komitor says.

A veterinary technician turned massage therapist/Reiki Master/Healing Touch (for people) practitioner, Komitor's work with animals was a natural evolution. Because of her 13 years of experience as a vet tech, Komitor's Healing Touch colleagues routinely sent the animal inquiries her way. "The chakra system is essentially the same in animals as it is in humans," she says, "but working with animal energy is different, because their energy fields are much bigger than ours, and they're more receptive. It's really important to blend our energy with theirs, so they are at ease."

The inquiries became common enough that Komitor decided to develop a course to address the animal aspect of Healing Touch. "I originally thought it would be a couple of classes here in Denver," she says. "It's turned out to be an international program with multilevel certifications."

Today, instructors based across the United States and Canada travel to various cities worldwide presenting HTA weekend workshops to participants eager to connect with their animals. HTA is used to treat behavioral and physiological issues in companion pets and zoo animals. Those who have witnessed its effects are sold.


What is HTA?This work on animals is a natural extension of Healing Touch (HT) for people, a method being used more frequently in hospitals and mainstream medical settings throughout the country. HT uses specific techniques to balance the chakra energies in and around the body, supporting the body in healing itself on physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual levels.

Before the work can really begin, Komitor explains that the facilitator must be grounded and clear, setting an atmosphere of energy presence. This taps you into the "unlimited energy outside of yourself," she says.

During a session, the facilitator uses one of several HTA techniques to specifically address a variety of issues. For example, the bridging technique is often used for animals that are scattered or fragmented due to illness, injury, or personality disorder. That technique balances and clears the energy field, bringing energetic wholeness into place. Komitor says HTA therapists have had great success working through everything from an animal's anxiety during thunderstorms to behavior issues, like tearing up the furniture.


What Do the Animals Think? During HTA techniques, animals ease into a relaxed, receptive state. Even in close quarters with a room full of strangers, all the canines involved in a weekend HTA course relaxed calmly at their owners' feet within minutes. When dogs receive an individual treatment, they yawn and maneuver to get more comfortable. Horses drop their heads and ears and cock a hind foot as if pondering sleep. Sometimes their lips quiver as if they were being tickled. Observers all note the obvious reactions, all positive, when the pets receive a treatment.

For the skeptics, Komitor gives a scientific premise to the healing benefits of HTA. All of the techniques create a relaxation response in animals, she says, and calming the animal initiates physiology that supports the immune system. "When an animal relaxes, the body releases chemicals in the brain, endorphins, that then allow the physical structure of the body to relax even more," Komitor says. "So muscles relax, the body has an ease with itself. And with relaxation, circulation increases, which accelerates blood flow and brings in oxygen, nutrients, adequate hormones, and enzymes to help with rejuvenation of the cells. It also boosts the immune system."

While this relaxation response is no small thing, those who feel the energy and see its effects say something more is going on here. Komitor concedes: "Increased relaxation allows a surrendering of the body on all levels: spiritual, mental, and physical. This allows an environment that can connect with the self, with universe, with God, with nature, and creates wholeness."


Making the ConnectionKomitor believes animals may be particularly receptive to energetic benefits from their caring owners due to their ability to love unconditionally, without the type of psychic baggage humans carry in their electromagnetic fields. To this end, HTA has yet another side effect that all facilitators--those doing the work--are quick to mention: The bond that develops between a human and the animal after working the techniques is especially profound.

Komitor also speaks to this. "Animals' instincts give them an awareness that we've long forgotten," she says. "If we attune to them and how they're relating to us, the connection that's meant to happen between the animal kingdom and humans is met. I've seen we are one, that all things in the universe are energy, just different molecular structures. And if we learn to relate as animals relate, we'd see we could connect."

 

Article courtesy of ABMP

The Gift of Massage is a Compassionate Gift.

 

The Gift Of Massage Is A Compassionate Gift.

 

by

Charity Parrott, LMT

 

 

 

 

I once heard that people need eight hugs a day, just to stay healthy! I shared that little tidbit of information with my oldest daughter, who smiled. I sensed that she already understood that and was feeling validated but the information. She often finds me in the house and tells me how many hugs she has received thus far in the day. It is her way of asking for a hug. Even for a child, it is sometimes difficult to simple ask for what we need.

 

Our basic human needs include touch. We need a certain amount of positive touch for our bodies and minds to be healthy and to thrive. Do you know someone who might be deprived of positive touch? I bet we all do, if we think about it.

 

As we grow older, human touch becomes more complicated. If we have a partner, we may give and receive the gift of human touch on a daily basis, however,  many people with and without partners, go without the gift of positive touch.

 

Some groups of people are at an even greater risk of not receiving positive human touch. Elderly people, especially those that who live alone, are at a greater risk of not receiving positive touch. Instead of positive touch, they may received forms of touch that are perceived by the mind and body as less than positive. This includes forms of touch that are necessary for medical procedures, injections and medical testing.

 

Massage Therapy uses positive touch to facilitate relaxation and healing in the body. Massage increases circulation, which helps support the body by pumping oxygen and nutrients into tissues and vital organs. Massage also supports emotional health. It has been shown to decrease anxiety while also improving concentration and the quality of sleep. 

 

Massage Therapy may be the perfect solution to address these issues created by the lack of positive touch. Giving the gift of massage therapy to someone you know is a caring choice. You will be giving them more than just relaxation. You will be supporting their physical and emotional health and well being.

 

Balanced Life Massage Therapy, located at 2 Narrows Road, Westminster, MA, has gift certificates available for purchase. Our grand opening will take place on January 2, 2013. You may purchase gift certificates and schedule appointments today!

 

 Be one of the first to experience our warm, inviting environment and therapeutic massage services. We look forward to serving you soon.

 

 

 

 

 



Incorporating Reflexology into Your Life

(Photo courtesy of ABMP)

 

Incorporating Reflexology into Your Life

Footprints for Health

 



You walk on them all day, but did you know your feet do more than carry you from one place to the next? They also have a unique connection to balanced health and well-being. In a form of bodywork known as reflexology, the feet are said to contain reflex areas that mirror and connect to all parts of the body--and pressure on these points can actually influence your state of health.


What is Reflexology: The roots of reflexology draw, in part, from the ancient healing art of foot massage, practiced the world over, from Asian and Egyptian civilizations to tribal communities of the Americas. Early archaeological digs have revealed statues of Buddha in China and Japan, and Vishnu (a Hindu god) in India, depicting markings of specific areas on the feet. But it has only been within the last century that this work has established a foothold, so to speak, in Western practice.

As we know it today, reflexology is viewed primarily as a stress reduction or relaxation technique. Using the thumb, finger, and hand, gentle pressure is applied to reflex areas of the feet in order to decrease stress and bring the body into equilibrium. While some reflexologists also apply treatment to the hands and ears, the foot--with its greater quantity of sensitive nerve endings--is considered the most amenable to this approach.

Although simplistic in application, the effects of the treatment can be profound. Through activation of nerve receptors in the hands and feet, new messages flood into the body system, changing its tempo and tone. In essence, the foot or hand becomes a conduit for sharing information throughout the body. Function in the connecting area is improved and, at the same time, the body experiences overall relaxation and benefits to the circulation and elimination systems. When the body's systems are at optimal functioning, self-healing is enhanced.

In this sense, reflexology is not a medical treatment for specific symptoms or diseases, but rather a way to facilitate the body's inherent healing power. Therefore, it stands to reason that paying attention to your feet can also be a great preventive measure and one easily incorporated into a daily routine.

How and why reflexology works the way it does is still up for debate. Some say it involves communication through the nervous system; other theories point to opening blockages of chi, or vital energy, in the body. Regardless, scientific studies have documented its benefit for a variety of ailments, ranging from acute disorders to chronic diseases. The majority of reflexology research has come from China where the technique is commonly used in hospitals and homes for both health maintenance, and as adjunct to medical care. Some of the positive findings include reduction of pain, improvement in circulation, release of tension, and improved effectiveness of medication, as well as benefits for diabetes and headaches.


Fancy FootworkKevin Kunz, author of several reflexology books and codirector of the Reflexology Research Project, emphasizes the importance of making reflexology a part of your life. Consistency is key if you expect results, and foot homework is a low-cost, efficient way to extend the benefits of weekly sessions with your reflexologist. The techniques can be practiced even while you're busy doing something else. You can purchase devices such as foot rollers for use under the desk, but even inexpensive homemade devices will do, Kunz says. "You can put a golf ball in a sock, tie it up, and you have a roller. Anything to cause stimulation has a beneficial effect."

Reflexology is also a safe and effective technique for infants and children, soothing their emotions and promoting sleep. Naturally available and noninvasive, this approach can enhance communication between parent and child and aid in developing the child's physical awareness.


Feedback and Stimulation According to Kunz, lack of stimulation for the feet is a major problem in our society. We box our feet in shoes and forbid them to traipse the natural environment. Some American feet never even see sunlight, much less travel naked on a forest floor. "The feet carry the body, in more ways than one," Kunz says. "Constant feedback from the feet is needed in order for the body to make the proper responses." There is no challenge for the foot in walking on flat surfaces. Feet crave stimulation, and they were built for a variety of surfaces.

The Japanese, as well as Europeans, have addressed this basic need by creating health pathways to stimulate every part of the foot. "This comes from taki fumi," Kunz says, "to step upon bamboo. Here we call them stroll pathways. The idea is that you stroll along, and as you do, you are strengthening the system. It's great exercise and gives you more endurance." In Asia, pathways frequently feature cobblestones for stimulation, but a sandy beach or rocky hiking trail can provide variation underfoot.

Whatever path you choose, get off the pavement, free your feet, and let them do their thing. "Over thousands of years," Kunz says, "every culture has discovered it in some shape or form. The foot is it."

Article courtesy of ABMP



Local Birth Doula Rebirths Her Business! Grand Opening of Balanced Life Massage Therapy, in Westminster, MA, on January 2, 2014.

The Rebirth of a Business.

 

Maternal Instinct Doula Service

Becomes

Balanced Life Massage Therapy

 

By Charity Parrott, LMT

 

This is an exciting time in my life. This past year, I went to school to study therapeutic massage. The Massage School in Acton, Massachusetts, taught me well. I developed skill, understanding and patience during this time.

 

Instead of the state requirement of 100 hours of hands-on massage training, our school required 200 hours, for which I am grateful. This extra supervised time allowed for me to understand with greater depth, the workings of the muscles, the way they interface with the bones; how every task we complete, even how we show up in this world, affects the way we feel in our bodies. I am blessed with the gift of massage to help support others.

 

Before I was a Licensed Massage Therapist, I worked as a Certified Labor Doula. I opened Maternal Instinct Doula Service in 2006. My work included supporting families through pregnancy and childbirth, educating parents about the process of gestation, childbirth and supporting them during the postpartum period. Maternal Instinct Doula Service was renamed  Balanced Life Massage Therapy in November, 2013.

 

Enchanting Aromas

(Photo courtesy of ABMP)

 

Enchanting Aromas

Angela England and Linda Bertaut

 

 

Nature heals in many ways. Most of us have felt the sense of renewal that comes from walking through a garden filled with fragrant flowers, or sitting under a massive tree, shaded from the burning rays of the sun. Indigenous peoples worldwide believe that each plant has a spirit we can communicate with, to ask for their help in healing.

You can tap into "plant spirit" by keeping aromatic plants around your home or wherever you spend time. Whether fresh or dried, herbs and plants can delight the senses and offer varied health benefits.



Choosing Favorites: Here are some popular herbs, as well as their purported health benefits. When choosing your favorites, take a few minutes to breathe in the scents and try to identify what the aroma does for you. Caution: If you have plant allergies, some herbs may cause a reaction.

Chamomile: Euphoric--Soothes nerves, aids digestion, and improves appetite. Good for circulation to the surface of the skin. Induces perspiration. Good as an overall tonic.

Jasmine: Magical--Helps menopause symptoms. Antibacterial, antioxidant, and aphrodisiac. May lower bad cholesterol when used in teas.

Lavender: Healing--Calming and sedative. Relieves anxiety, depression, and exhaustion. Helps with digestion, headaches, and skin problems. Antiseptic, antibiotic, and a natural detoxifier.

Lemon Balm: Joyful--A member of the mint family, it was used for centuries to treat melancholy. Soothes the nerves and helps with indigestion. May be used topically to reduce redness and swelling.

Peppermint: Uplifting--Calms the stomach and helps with digestion. Increases secretion of bile. Antifungal, highly nutritive, and can alleviate symptoms of allergies and asthma.

Red Clover: Cleansing--Blood purifier, sedative, and good for the nerves. May be used topically to help acne, psoriasis, and skin sores.

Rose Hips: Fortitude--High in vitamin C and bioflavonoids. Antioxidant. Also contains vitamins A and B, essential fatty acids, and lycopene.

Rose Petals: Beautiful--Antibacterial, antidepressant, and aphrodisiac. Rose water is beneficial to the skin.

Rosemary: Awakening--Highly nutritive, with vitamins A, C, and B complex. Boosts the immune system. Antifungal,anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antiseptic.

Sage: Wisdom--Grounding. Antibacterial and astringent. Helps with digestion; good as a gargle for sore throats; relieves sore gums; helps reduce hot flashes. Can be used as a rinse to darken grey hair.


Growing Your Own HerbsIn addition to having these wonderful herbs surround you, there can be an additional cost-saving benefit with growing them yourself. Fresh basil can cost more than $4 for a small sprig, while a $1 packet of seeds will provide fresh basil for the summer months, as well as enough basil to dry and use in the autumn and winter. Plus, you can find varieties of basil via seed you simply can't purchase otherwise (think lemon and even chocolate basil), creating a one-of-a-kind experience for pennies on the dollar.

Other herbs that grow easily from seed include chamomile, lemon balm, sage, and thyme. Some herbs, however, do not grow well from seeds, including lavender, lemon verbena, and mint. Lavender, though, is an economical plant in another way--it is a perennial plant that will come back year after year, such as rose, sage, and thyme. Here are some growing tips that are especially helpful if you're working with a small space:

Choose containers carefully
Plants that enjoy quick-draining soil, like lavender and chamomile, grow well in traditional containers. Plants like basil, roses, and strawberries that need more consistent watering will benefit from a self-watering container.

Grow up! Use plant stands, ladders, or shelves to elevate containers to different levels if you don't have a lot of space for your garden. Trellises or fences can be used to grow climbing plants vertically as well. Cucumbers and climbing roses grow vertically and can become useful and beautiful backdrops in otherwise wasted spaces.

Do double duty:  Most businesses or homes have landscaping already. It is easy to replace existing ornamental-only plants with those that will serve a double duty. Rosemary is a semi-evergreen shrub that can take the place of dwarf conifers in some landscapes and climates. Alpine strawberry can replace other small, flowering plants like coreopsis, phlox, or vinca. Thyme and mint make great ground covers and can serve as a living mulch, while fragrant roses in place of other large, ornamental shrubs provide additional plant material for you to use.

Angela England is the author of Backyard Farming on an Acre (More or Less) and founder of www.untrainedhousewife.com, she stays busy empowering others to live more intentionally.

Linda Bertaut is an author, esthetician, Reiki Master, and award-winning beauty expert. She founded Bertaut Beauty and Chakralicious to help professionals add wellness therapies to their menu of services.

Article courtesy of ABMP

 



The Benefits of Facial Massage

(Photo courtesy of ABMP)

 

The Benefits of Facial Massage

Natalia Doran

 

A well-performed facial massage is a wonderful treat that will help relieve puffiness and improve skin tone and complexion. Other physical benefits of a facial massage include stimulation of the skin's immune mechanisms, firming of weak muscles, tissue regeneration, and antiaging effects. There are also many mental benefits, including stress relief and a greater awareness of the body-mind connection.


How the Skin Moves Nutrients in order to fully understand the benefits of facial massage, it is helpful to understand the anatomy and physiology of the skin.

We all know that skin is a complex organ consisting of a number of specialized cells. Its functions include pH and temperature regulation, and sebum and sweat production. The condition of the integumentary system (the skin and its components) depends on homeostasis and the coordination of circulatory, nerve, muscular, endocrine, and lymphatic systems. The skin's outer layer, the epidermis, does not have a direct blood supply--all nutrients, water, and oxygen needed to feed these cells must come from the dermis. If nutrients are lacking in the dermis, the skin cells will be undernourished.

To move from the dermis to the epidermis, nutrients must cross the basement membrane that joins these two layers. Small molecules, such as water, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and glycerol, can cross this membrane by diffusion. Larger molecules must cross by facilitated diffusion (being carried across by proteins). Nutrients or other substances that exist in lower concentrations in the dermis than in the epidermis must be moved into the epidermis by active transport. Water, an effective transportation system, can pass through membranes in response to changes in ion concentration. Hormones and mechanical movements, such as massage, can regulate the rate at which water passes through the membrane.

What about absorption from the outside of the skin into the underlying tissues of the body? Skin permits absorption, but the tightly located coenocytes and lipids between cells make absorption limited. When products are applied to the skin, certain elements play a role in the absorption rate, including the features of the skin, changes in skin barrier function, size of product molecules, and the type of delivery system used in the product.

Connective tissue also plays a role in how the skin moves nutrients. All substances that are transported in the blood must pass through the connective tissue to reach the cells or to be removed as waste. Connective tissue contains cells that produce collagen and elastin, and a half-gel, half-fluid binding mass called the ground substance, which surrounds every cell. Through the ground substance, nutrients are transported from the blood capillaries to the cell, and waste products are moved from the cells to the capillaries. The condition of the ground substance will affect the diffusion rate of nutrients and waste products, creating the cells' environment. This environment can be clean and healthy, or polluted with metabolic wastes.

Applying pressure and movement through massage can help to normalize the function and composition of the connective tissue, and free it of harmful substances.


Lymphatic Massage, The body's lymphatic system is responsible for draining away the debris from our cells. It transports water out of the tissue, along with waste substances: bacteria, cell fragments, immobile cells, inorganic substances, large molecular fats, proteins, and viruses. This process is constantly happening all over the body, as the lymph cleanses each cell and drains away the debris in a circulatory system powered only by breathing and muscle movements. With mechanical manipulation such as massage, the lymph system can move up to 10 times more fluid than it normally does.

Manual lymph drainage (MLD), which was developed by Emil Vodder, PhD, is a type of gentle massage that accelerates the natural circulation of the lymph and encourages its movement away from swollen areas. MLD is firm, but gentler than ordinary massage. Because the lymph vessels are all interlinked, lymph flow will be affected in the entire region of the area being massaged. Other types of lymphatic massage include lymph drainage therapy, developed by Bruno Chikly, MD.

A facial massage that involves lymphatic work improves circulation to the skin, which increases nutrition to the skin cells and speeds up the filtering of water in and out of cells, removing waste products. The vasodilation of the surface capillaries during massage improves skin color, and facial massage also improves elasticity and suppleness of the skin. With facial massage, the skin becomes more balanced, less prone to breakouts, and more resistant to infection.

Natalia Doran, MD, is the founder and president of the International Skin Beauty Academy in Illinois. She has a medical degree in dermatology and a master's degree in educational psychology.
Article courtesy of ABMP

Balancing The Body

(Photo Courtesy of ABMP)

 

 

Balancing The Body

By Rebecca Jones

 

For a child wobbling atop a two-wheel bicycle for the first time, getting it to remain upright is a scary challenge. But once that child has mastered the art of balancing on the bike, the body just remembers what to do. That's the way it is with balance. Our body has lots of tools at its disposal to help us control our upright posture, and these tools function largely at the subconscious level.

However, when one of those tools fails to work properly, our system of balance can get out of whack. Problems with our feet and neurological conditions, such as Parkinson's disease, can throw off our balance. Eye conditions can rob us of stereoscopic vision, which helps us properly locate ourselves in space. And, of course, inner ear problems can greatly affect our balance.

Many of these balance-affecting conditions are related to aging. In fact, it's estimated that one of every three people older than 65 will suffer some kind of fall this year. And half those people will fall again within 12 months. Bodywork can help. Certain modalities can improve and restore balance, particularly through reeducating the body in the most efficient ways to move. Just like our bodies once learned the best way to stabilize atop a bicycle, they can also learn new, better ways to stabilize aging feet and legs. Here's a look at how two bodywork modalities--structural integration and the Feldenkrais Method--may help.


Structural IntegrationJane Elmore, MD, is a champion dressage rider, which means she spends much of her day perched atop a 1,200-pound prancing horse. Her safety absolutely depends on keeping her balance. She's been doing dressage for more than 10 years, but she's found the greatest success in her sport most recently. She credits her improvement to structural integration sessions.

"I just feel so much more secure in the saddle now," says Elmore, who owns a ranch in Denison, Texas. "They talk about the rider being a dance partner with the horse in dressage. Well, I was never a dancer. I was always overweight. But what I find now, in order to have this horse be able to respond to you, you have to be subtle in being able to shift weight from a left seat bone to a right seat bone, to both seat bones, to rotate in the seat so your shoulders follow the horse's shoulders. All this is much easier for me now, simply because I'm much freer in my movements."

Structural integration is based on the work of Dr. Ida Rolf, a biochemist who founded the modality called Rolfing, as well as the Rolf Institute in Boulder, Colorado, in 1971. Structural integration involves manipulating the body's connective tissue--the fascia--to rebalance the body and bring about pain relief from stress and injury.

"Most people come to structural integration because they've got something that hurts and can't make it better," says Marilyn Beech, past executive director and president of the board of the International Association of Structural Integrators. "But structural integration isn't really so much about getting rid of the pain as it is about getting the body lined up again. A lot of times your body is so misaligned you can't get your center of gravity over your foot. A lot of structural integrators work with athletes. It's common that afterward, they'll feel more coordinated, more efficient in their movements, and they'll have better balance."


Feldenkrais like structural integration, the Feldenkrais Method improves balance by teaching individuals to be more aware of proper movement. Developed by Ukrainian-born physicist Moshe Feldenkrais, the method stems from Feldenkrais' study of judo and its emphasis on perfect balance. Promoters say the method can help people experiencing pain in the back, neck, shoulders, hips, legs, or knees, but is also useful for healthy individuals, particularly athletes, who want to move more freely.

"Unlike physical therapy or occupational therapy, Feldenkrais is an educational process," says Denver practitioner Sissel Rhyme. "It works with the central nervous system. It's bones to brain." Rhyme typically leads students through a sequence of precise movements, either sitting or lying on the floor, standing, or sitting in a chair. Throughout the process, she asks students to think about how various positions feel.

"This is intelligent exercise," she says. "You have to be a part of it mentally. It's not like being on the treadmill for 30 minutes where it doesn't matter what you think about." By increasing the awareness of how it feels to move properly, with everything structurally balanced, students can learn to let go of old patterns of movement and develop new ones that result in improved flexibility and coordination.

There are literally hundreds of such movement lessons, which vary in difficulty and complexity. Lessons can be 30-60 minutes long and can be done in groups or privately with an instructor. The instructor will touch the students, but only gently and noninvasively. It's not at all painful or strenuous, though Rhyme reports students may find themselves exhausted after an hour. Studies have shown that 10 weeks worth of Feldenkrais lessons leads to notable improvements not just in balance, but also in the participants' sense of confidence in their ability to balance.
 

Article courtesy of ABMP

Aromatherapy and Massage

 

(photo courtesy of ABMP)

 

Aromatherapy and Massage

By Karrie Osborn

 



Aromatherapy, a process utilizing the purest essence of a plant, is a 4,000-year-old technique that has enhanced the health of everyone from modern-day pop divas to the scholars of ancient Greece. The art of massage has its own deeply rich roots, with even Plato and Socrates touting the value of hands-on bodywork for good health.

Separately, these two therapeutic traditions hold individual prowess in the realm of personal health and well-being. Together, however, they become a formidable health alliance that can address not only a person's physical health, but the health of the mind and spirit as well.

A Natural Complement, our senses were designed to work best in conjunction with one another. Our sense of taste would not be as acute without our nose lending its support to the process. Our auditory senses might seem hollow if we weren't gifted with sight as well. Indeed, there exists a quiet partnership between all our five senses that's built on synergy.

Let's see how it works. Essential oils are extracted from herbs, flowers, and plants with the intent to improve a person's health and well-being. Addressing everything from arthritis to whooping cough, effects of the approximate 3,000 oils found globally can range from sedative to stimulating and antibacterial to antispasmodic. The benefits derived from aromatherapy during a massage come in part from the contact the essential oil has on our skin, but even more so how it affects us when it's inhaled and absorbed through the soft-tissue linings of our nose and mouth.

The scientific explanation suggests that the essential oil's molecules, when inhaled, lock onto receptor cells at the back of the nose, sending an electrochemical message to the brain's limbic system. This message appears to trigger memory and emotional responses, causing messages to be sent to other parts of the brain and body. "In this way," says aromatherapist Danila Mansfield, "the production of euphoric, relaxing, sedative, or stimulating neurochemicals is stimulated."

Judith Fitzsimmons and Paula Bousquet, authors of Aromatherapy Through the Seasons, say the use of essential oils creates a multifaceted effect: "The real beauty of aromatherapy is that it works on a cellular and physical level and also in the emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and aesthetic areas of your life."

It's really quite amazing when you think about it. Imagine an area the size of a small apricot pit, a 1-inch square area, filled with millions of sensory neurons that can capture, process, and store 10,000 odors. This is our olfactory system at work, and part of its job is to create a personal history for us based on scent, says clinical aromatherapist Ava-Marie Lind-Shiveley. "None of our other senses so well establishes a memory database." She says our response to scent is both physiological and psychosomatic. "Within an instant of smelling an aroma, we can be sent back to the first moment we were introduced to it."

By enabling us to recognize, revisit, and/or reclaim these various emotions and memories, aromatherapy allows another avenue of access for healing during a bodywork session. It creates a path through which the somatic experience can find its full strength.

When the powerful effects of aromatherapy are combined with massage, it can take us to another level, say aromatherapy educators Shirley and Len Price. "When, during a massage, the touch of the therapist is combined with the mental and physical effects of the essential oils, the client is helped to achieve a temporary separation from worldly worries, somewhat akin to a meditative state." Helping clients reach this level of relaxation is a primary goal of massage therapists and aromatherapists alike, so it makes sense that a partnership could beautifully exist.

A Scent Journey"Scent is not simplistic," Lind-Shiveley says. "It is voluminous." She illustrates this point with a quote from Helen Keller: "Smell is a potent wizard that transports us across thousands of miles and all the years we have lived. The odors of fruits waft me to my Southern home, to my childhood frolics in the peach orchard. Other odors, instantaneous and fleeting, cause my heart to dilate joyously or contract with remembered grief."

If you decide to do some personal exploration into the world of scent therapy, proceed with due caution in both the quality of the oils you buy and how you dose and administer them. There is a dichotic nature inherent in aromatherapy. It is gentle, yet powerful; subtle, yet intense. There are essential oils strong enough to cause miscarriage, but there also are many oils safe enough to use on infants. The key is knowing how to utilize nature's gifts to provide the best, most effective therapeutic collaboration possible. Talk with your massage therapist about incorporating the science of aromatherapy into your sessions or ask about a referral to an aromatherapist in your area.

Balancing  Bay Laurel, Cedarwood, Geranium

Clarifying  Juniper, Lemon, Peppermint

Comforting  Bergamot, Frankincense, Rose

Energizing  Eucalyptus, Grapefruit, Rosemary

Focusing  Angelica, Sweet Basil, Lime

Sedating  Chamomile, Clary Sage,Patchouli

Uplifting  Lavender, Orange/Mandarin, Pine, Tea Tree

 

Karrie Osborn is contributing editor to Body Sense.

Article courtesy of ABMP

Pregnancy Massage

(Photo courtesy of ABMP)

 

Pregnancy Massage

Touch for the Mom-To-Be

 

Pregnancy is nine transformative months full of excitement, planning, and peering at the awesome unfolding of life. But this transformation also brings inevitable side effects. 

 You don't have to suffer in silence. The gentle, noninvasive approach of pregnancy massage can ease your discomfort, help you prepare for labor, give you the emotional support of a caring practitioner, and bring back a sense of body-mind integration, putting you into a state of relaxation and calm acceptance of your continually evolving physical form.

According to Lynne Daize, with the National Association of Pregnancy Massage Therapy, training for this specialty includes learning specific techniques for each trimester, as well as those required for labor and postpartum massage. A certified pregnancy massage therapist is well-acquainted with the physical and hormonal effects of pregnancy and has the skills to counterbalance these changes. You'll find the therapist uses a lighter touch and concentrates on those areas most vulnerable to changes in your body. She might also give you deep breathing exercises and tips on how to improve your posture to adjust to the added weight and shifting center of gravity.

As pregnancy progresses, your body adjusts to a changing postural alignment caused by the baby's increasing weight. This puts strain on your back and legs and increases stress on weight-bearing joints. Massage increases flexibility, enhancing the ability to carry this extra weight while also relieving aches and pains, leg cramps, and muscle spasms. The effects of relaxation and tension release add to improvement in the physical state of muscles and joints, and assist in balancing emotions.

Studies from the Touch Research Institute (TRI) in Miami, Florida, indicate that pregnancy massage provides more than just symptom relief for the mother. A group of 26 pregnant women were given either massage or relaxation therapy during a five-week study. In addition to experiencing a reduction in symptoms of anxiety, stress, sleep problems, and back pain, the massage group had fewer complications in their delivery. Their newborns also had fewer postnatal complications. Another TRI study reported massage during labor resulted in shorter labor times for the mothers, shorter hospital stays, and less postpartum depression.

Obstetrician Bonita Kolrud of Westside Women's Care in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, is an avid proponent of bodywork, although she cautions women to make sure their therapist is experienced with pregnancy massage. Kolrud praises the physical benefits of massage, noting it relieves tension and pain caused by changes in body alignment. "The biggest thing is so many women still look at massage as a luxury. But it has so many physical health benefits and is more of a necessity for some patients. Emotionally, it's really beneficial for women to be touched when they're pregnant. I think a lot of pregnant women don't necessarily get as much physical touching as they would like. It's a very nurturing thing having someone taking care of you, and it's a great bonding experience with the baby when you're both receiving massage."


What to Expect When Expecting During the first trimester of pregnancy, a primary goal of massage is to provide relaxation and increase flow of the circulation systems. Stimulating the blood system pumps more energy-giving oxygen and nutrients into your cells and increases blood flow to the placenta. Muscle tension can slow down lymph flow, leaving you fatigued. By stimulating this system, massage can boost your immunity and energy level.

In the second trimester, increasing weight of the baby can cause muscle soreness. "The mother starts going through more changes," Daize says, "so massage is used to relieve muscle spasms and ease structural changes." The therapist works to loosen joints, keeping them aligned, and soften the connective tissues, thereby relieving backaches and leg cramps.

As pregnancy progresses and the abdomen enlarges, special positioning is required during massage. Up to the 24th week of pregnancy it is acceptable, according to Daize, for moms to be on their back with the right hip tilted up, taking pressure off the nerves and arteries. Pressure on the arteries in the back, she notes, will diminish blood flow and oxygen to the fetus. Another position that decreases stress on the back is side-lying, with the belly supported by a small wedge pillow.

During the final trimester's "home stretch," the baby begins to gain weight more rapidly, pressing against inner organs and shifting them about. Discomfort increases and the impending due date can cause added stress and anxiety. At this stage, Daize says, the therapist focuses on trigger points to relieve pain while continuing to elicit relaxation throughout the body. Generally, during the last two weeks before the mother's due date, the therapist concentrates her techniques on preparing the woman's body for delivery.

Before initiating massage, consult your obstetrician, especially if you are at high risk. While massage is a safe treatment, there are certain conditions that require your physician's approval and careful monitoring by the therapist. Notify your therapist immediately of any changes in your physical health, and consult your obstetrician about continuing the treatments should complications arise. Some physicians may be unaware of the benefits of pregnancy massage and hesitant to recommend it. In these cases, the therapist can help by providing information that explains her specialized training and experience.

Article courtesy of ABMP



Massage Therapy is a Great Choice for EveryBody!

Charity S. Parrott

 

(formerly of Maternal Instinct Doula Service)

 

now practicing under the business name

 

Balanced Life Massage Therapy

 

After 7 years of owning and operating Maternal Instinct Doula Service, Charity S. Parrott decided she wanted to learn more about the field of touch therapy. She has since attended school at The Massage School, located in Acton, MA, graduating the program in November of 2013. During this time, she was educated in therapeutic massage, reflexology, Thai yoga massage and shiatsu. Charity is also certified as in prenatal massage through MotherMassage.

 

Charity enjoyed serving families as a birth doula and childbirth instructor for almost a decade and had attended over 100 births. She also taught many families how to birth through the her childbirth education classes. Charity is still available to teach Hypnobirthing Classes to interested families but is no longer serving families as a birth doula.

 

Therapeutic massage will be available to everybody soon, as well as reiki and prenatal massage. We will open our doors very shortly.

 

Maternal Instinct Doula Service is officially having a name change. Balanced Life Massage Therapy is now the name of the business and we look forward to serving the needs of all people not just  pregnant clients.

 

We will be opening soon and you will be able to see how therapeutic massage can be to your life.  Your body will feel recharged and your spirit will be lifted during your private session.

 

For more information, feel free to contact Charity at 978.855.0057.